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Premier League clubs using foreign talent rather than domestic players has been a hot topic of discussion for years now.
Whether foreign players hinder the development of young talent, or whether they complement and help them grow remains a strong point of debate. But one thing is for sure: the influx of foreign talent in the Premier League might never stop.
Currently there are 347 foreign players who are plying their trade in the Premier League. To put that into context, more than 60% of the players playing in the Premier League come from outside England.
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While many might think that it is the traditional Premier League 'Big Six' who would have the most number of foreign players, there's only one team from that group that ranks among the five clubs with the most foreign players.
On that note, here's a look at the five Premier League teams who have the most foreign players in their squad at the moment.
(Note - All figures are accurate as of 28th August, 2021).
#5 Chelsea - 20
Chelsea have been one of the top-spending clubs in the transfer window in the 21st century. The London club mostly sign superstars from other leagues to be successful in the Premier League and European competitions. Since Roman Abramovich took over in 2003, the club has never shied away from spending big in the transfer market.
The Blues' current squad is no different, as it boasts 20 foreign players in their ranks. Romelu Lukaku is the latest foreign addition, joining the club from Inter Milan this summer.
During last season's spending spree, the Blues signed several foreign players in their squad, which included the German duo of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner. Alongside them were Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech, Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva, who also arrived at the club.
Alongside the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger, these new additions played a key role in Chelsea's Champions League win last season.
With a decent mix of homegrown and foreign players in their squad right now, Chelsea will hope to continue their success this season.
#4 Norwich City - 22
Norwich City have been a sort of yo-yo club in the last decade, moving between the Championship and the Premier League every few seasons. The club were relegated in the 2019-20 Premier League, but returned to the top flight this summer after winning last season's Championship.
The club have made numerous foreign additions to their ranks; Norwich now have 22 foreign players in their squad, which is third-highest in the Premier League.
Midfielder Milot Rashica was the first to arrive this summer. He was signed from Werder Bremen for a fee of around £10 million. He was followed by Dimitrios Giannoulis, Pierre Lees-Melou, Joshua Sargent and Christos Tzolis. Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour also arrived at the club on loan.
Norwich already have several foreign players in their squad who have been a crucial part of the team in recent years. Finland striker Teemu Pukki has been their main forward since joining the club in 2018.
The striker has scored 67 goals in 128 matches for the club. Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul has also been a key player for Norwich between the sticks, while captain Grant Hanley, who hails from Scotland, has also been a crucial part of the club.
Norwich will hope the new additions coupled with their experienced players can help them avoid Premier League relegation this season. However, they have not made the best of starts to the new season, losing their opening two league games.
#3 Wolverhampton Wanderers - 22
Since their promotion to the Premier League in 2018, Wolverhampton Wanderers have always been under the spotlight for the number of foreign players in their ranks, especially from Portugal.
The squad currently has 22 foreign players in their ranks, nine of them being from Portugal, which is quite astounding. Interestingly, Wolves' former manager Nuno Espirito Santo and current manager Bruno Lage, also hail from Portugal.
Wolves also have players hailing from other countries. Their star striker Raul Gimenez comes from Mexico, while their pacy winger Adama Traore is from Spain. They also have the likes of Leander Dendoncker, Willy Boly and Roman Saiss, among their other notable foreign players.
While Wolves have been criticised for their lack of English players in the team, their foreign policy has certainly helped them compete at the highest level in the Premier League.
#2 Watford - 23
Like Norwich, Watford were relegated in the 2019-20 Premier League season but earned promotion after finishing second in last season's Championship. They have also made significant additions to their squad, which has taken the number of foreign players in their ranks to 23.
Their biggest signing this summer has arguably been Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis, who arrived from Club Brugge. The forward has already hit the ground running, scoring in their opening win against Aston Villa. Watford have also signed French midfielder Moussa Sissoko from Tottenham to add some experience to their midfield.
Watford's biggest foreign asset is arguably Senegalese winger Ismaila Sarr. The 23-year-old played a key role in Watford's promotion to the Premier League, scoring 13 goals and providing four assists in the Championship last season. Austria's Euro 2020 goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann has also been an integral part of the Hornets' squad.
Having signed some talented foreign players this summer, Watford will hope to avoid relegation this season.
#1 Brentford - 26
Newly promoted side Brentford, who are back in the Premier League after 74 long years, are the club with the most foreign players in the English top flight at the moment. They have a staggering tally of 26 foreign players and only six homegrown players in their squad.
All that is down to Brentford's unique recruitment style, which was introduced by their owner Matthew Benham when he took charge of the club. Benham uses a data-centric model to scour Europe for talent, which has often been discarded, ignored or simply not on the radars of other clubs.
That has allowed the club to recruit young talent across Europe and turn them into stars. These players are later sold for huge fees to balance the books. The likes of Neil Maupay, Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma are prime examples of players who were signed by Brentford, turned into stars and sold for a hefty profit.
In their current squad, Brentford have the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, David Raya and Sergio Canos who have been recruited from foreign countries and have played a big part in the Bees' promotion to the Premier League this season.
Brentford have made a promising start to their league campaign. With the plethora of talent in their squad, the Bees will look to avoid relegation this season.
